Ginger Snaps
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A classic ginger snap cookie recipe handed down from generations past. Full of yummy molasses, warming cloves and delightful cinnamon flavors, this recipe will help you make ginger snap cookies that taste just like grandma used to make. They’re crispy on the outside but soft in the middle – the perfect gingersnap cookie!
Every year, without fail, my darling sister invites me to take part in her Christmas cookie exchange.
And each year, I jump in and start making some amazing, complicated cookies that have me ripping my hair out.
Once I’ve sufficiently chided myself for trying and failing at being extra, I fall back on old faithful. My Memere’s ginger snap cookies. They’re quick, they’re easy, and they’re universally loved.
This ginger snap cookie recipe is dedicated to Memere.
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Tips + Tricks
No. 1 –> For the finished shots in this recipe I used both white and gold sanding sugar to give that super obvious sugar’d surface. I got the idea from my sister’s Espresso Cookies! I will definitely use sanding sugar again if I’m gifting the cookies because I just love the look!
No. 2 –> A reader recommended to me to add a small amount of cayenne pepper to these cookies, I tried it, loved it! About quarter a teaspoon was perfect, it enhanced the warming effect of the cookies without too much heat.
No. 3 –> If you need approximately 60 gingersnap cookies right now you’re in luck, this is a no chill recipe! If you only need a few, you’re also in luck! This recipe freezes beautifully, keep on reading for more information.
No. 4 –> Treat yourself, serve these delicious cookies with a Chai White Chocolate!
Key Ingredients:
Molasses: Use cooking or fancy molasses for this recipe. Fancy molasses is a lighter colored, sweet molasses, while cooking molasses is a blend of fancy and blackstrap molasses – it’s darker in color, richer in flavor and leads to a less sweet ginger snap. I highly recommend Fancy molasses!
Spices: Use high-quality cloves, ginger, and cinnamon are fresh and fragrant. These cookies shine because of the spices, so avoid using that long lost jar of stale ground cloves from the Y2K era!
Sugar: The base of these cookies is made with granulated sugar. The reason we use granulated sugar is that you’re able to cream together the butter and sugar to add air to the dough for a fluffier cookie. Another added benefit of white sugar is that it will give those crisp edges and keep the centre of the cookie nice and chewy!
How To Make Ginger Snap Cookies
Make the dough:
- Preheat oven to 375f. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together 1 1/2 cups softened butter and 2 cups of granulated sugar until light and fluffy. This usually takes 1-2 minutes on high speed.
- Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Add 1/2 cup molasses, 2 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons ground clove, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon to the mixing bowl and beat until completely combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as required.
- Slowly add in 4 cups of flour, mixing on low speed until completely combined.
Scoop + Bake
- Using a cookie scooper or tablespoon measure out dough, roll them between your hands to make them round, then roll in granulated or sanding sugar.
- Place the sugared balls on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake cookies in 375f oven for 8-12 minutes.
- Allow ginger snap cookies to cool on baking sheet for approximately 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Baking Guide For Ginger Snap Cookies
I believe in baking cookies at 375f. A hotter oven and a shorter time give crisp outside edges and softer chewier middles – if you can get some crunch on the outside of the cookie and some softness in the middle, you’ve caught lightning in a bottle.
That said, cook this cookie to your desired doneness. Ginger snaps are traditionally super crisp and snap when you bite into them. I prefer snappy edges and yummy soft and chewy middles.
12 minutes will give a completely crunchy cookie, 10 minutes is the sweet spot for my taste, and 8 minutes is mostly soft with a hint of crispy edges.
Batch + Storage
Batch:
This is a large batch cookie recipe. It yields approximately 60 delicious cookies per batch, using a size 40 cookie scoop.
If you’re not in the market for that many cookies, the recipe can be halved. If you’re looking to make even more ginger snap cookies, I would recommend doing 2 batches as this thick batter can really make your mixer work.
Storage:
Keep your baked ginger snap cookies in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to 5 days – if they last that long!
To freeze the ginger snap cookies, lay them flat on a baking sheet and place in the freezer until completely frozen before transferring them to a freezer-friendly container or bag. Pre-freezing helps to prevent the cookies from getting mangled in the freezer.
Make Ahead:
My favorite part of this recipe is that you can freeze the cookie balls and bake whenever you’ve got a hankerin’ for some fresh ginger snaps.
OK, well my favorite part of this recipe is the cookies, but the freezing thing is a very close second.
Freeze the balls:
- prepare cookie dough as per the recipe.
- once they are rolled in sugar, place them on a baking sheet, no need to space out.
- pop that baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the balls are completely frozen.
- transfer the frozen cookie balls to freezer bags for long term storage.
Bake the balls:
- prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- remove frozen cookie dough balls from the freezer and place on prepared baking sheet.
- allow cookie dough balls to thaw while preheating oven to 375f.
- bake at 375f for 8-12 minutes.
- enjoy fresh baked cookies with minimal mess!
Frozen ginger snap cookie balls will last at least 12 months in a proper container. I’m not proud, but I’ve found some that were at least 18 months old in my freezer, baked them, and ate them, and they were still delicious!
More Cookie Recipes To Love:
Recommended Equipment
Stand mixer: My KITCHENAID MIXER is one of my most used tools in the kitchen, I’m a cookie monster with a bad dominant wrist. I need it!
Good baking sheets: It’s hard to bake a perfect cookie on a lightweight cookie sheet. I like my BAKING SHEETS to have a decent weight to them, this helps to prevent the cookies from burning on the bottom before the rest is cooked.
If you love this recipe, please give it a star rating or leave a comment below! This helps me to create more content you enjoy!
📖 Printable Recipe
Ginger Snaps
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon cloves
- 2 teaspoon ginger
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 cups flour
- extra sugar for garnish
Instructions
To Bake Right Now:
- Preheat oven to 375f and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together 1 1/2 cups softened butter and 2 cups of granulated sugar until light and fluffy, around 1 -2 minutes.
- Add in 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well in between additions.
- Add 1/2 cup molasses, 2 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons ground clove, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon to the mixing bowl and beat until completely combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as required.
- Slowly add 4 cups of flour. Mix on low speed until fully combined.
- Pour granulated or sanding sugar onto a small plate.
- Using a cookie scooper or tablespoon measure out dough, roll them between your hands to make them round, then roll in granulated or sanding sugar.
- Place the sugared balls on prepared baking sheet at least 3 inches apart.
- Bake cookies in 375f oven for 8-12 minutes. 12 minutes gives a fully crunchy cookie, 10 minutes results in a slightly chewy centre with crunchy outsides and 8 minutes will gives a softer cookie with crispy outside edges.
- Allow ginger snap cookies to cool on baking sheet for approximately 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
To Freeze For Later Use:
- Follow steps 2-8 except, place the cookie dough balls much closer together.
- Place the entire baking sheet in the freezer and freeze overnight or until solid.
- Transfer the cookie dough balls to freezer friendly bags and freeze until ready to use.
To Bake Frozen Balls:
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Remove the cookie dough balls from the freezer and place them on the baking sheet.
- Once the ginger snap cookie balls are on the baking sheet, turn on the oven to 375f allowing the cookie dough to thaw while the oven comes to temperature, at least 3" apart. Do not flatten them!
- Bake at 375f for 8-12 minutes depending on desired doneness.
Notes
Baking time
12 minutes gives a fully crunchy cookie, 10 minutes results in a slightly chewy centre with crunchy outsides and 8 minutes will give you a softer cookie with crispy outside edges.Batch:
This is a large batch cookie recipe. It yields approximately 60 delicious cookies per batch, using a size 40 cookie scoop.Storage:
Keep your baked ginger snap cookies in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to 5 days – if they last that long! To freeze the ginger snap cookies, lay them flat on a baking sheet and place in the freezer until completely frozen before transferring them to a freezer-friendly container or bag. Pre-freezing helps to prevent the cookies from getting mangled in the freezer.make ahead:
Freeze the balls:- prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- remove frozen cookie dough balls from the freezer and place on prepared baking sheet.
- allow cookie dough balls to thaw while preheating oven to 375f.
- bake at 375f for 8-12 minutes.
- enjoy fresh baked cookies with minimal mess!
Recommended Equipment + Ingredients
Nutrition
Pin this Ginger Snap Cookie Recipe For Later!
Damn, these cookies are good!
I followed the exact recipe and the cookies came out perfect – not overly sweet and nicely spiced.
The baking guidelines were useful for dialing in the cookies’ crunchy to chewy ratio. I went with a bake time of 11 minutes and got cookies with a crunchy bottom, slightly caramelized edge, and chewy top/centre.
For the first time bakers, the cookies will be really soft and may seem undercooked when they first come out of the oven. Trust the baking guidelines and let the cookies rest! They will firm up and become great when cooled.
Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Thank you for sharing! This comment made my day <3
@W.P, Does the type of flour matter?
Great recipe. The cookies turned out as described and the baking guidelines were spot on.
Thank you Ally! I was looking for a ginger cookie recipe that made a lot. Can’t wait to try them. Hello from Canada as well by the way 🙂
Yay! These are such a family favourite! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
These cookies turned out amazing!! Thanks for the recipe!
I make these almost every week. It makes about 6 dozen. They are delicious! I am a hair stylist and I bring them to work most days. They are great.
These are the best cookies ever. I have made them at least 30 times. I bring them to work. Every week. I’m a hairstylist. Everyone loves them.
Ah! I’m so glad you like them. Definitely a favorite here too!
This is really the best ginger cookie ever, it has tons of flavor, chewy but still has a nice crisp bite. The cookies bake up nice with the crinkle cracked look with the sugar on top! We love it!
LOVE this ginger snap recipe! They are the best I’ve ever. They look like a professional bakery made them:-) Thank you for sharing!
Happy to hear you love them, Angela!
Hello! Does it matter what type of flour we use?
I use all purpose flour and the results are always great for me!
Your recipe and mine are almost identical. The only differences, I make 1/2 the recipe. In addition to the spices you list, I also add 1/2 tsp Ground Cardamon and a PINCH of Ground Pepper. I substitute Dark Brown Sugar for the Granulated and Roll the balls in Demerara Sugar. I use a #50 scoop and get ~3 Dozen cookies.
I also bake them for only 7-8 minutes because we prefer them softer.
Great recipe. Hubby loves them.
Oh Barb, I love cardamom, I will have to try – if you like that flavor, I have a cranberry cardamom bread that’s super delicious – you may like that too 🙂